Antarctic Science 17 (1): 29–32 (2005) © Antarctic Science Ltd Printed in the UK DOI: 10.1017/S0954102005002397 The onset of deglaciation of Cumberland Bay and Stromness Bay, South Georgia N. VAN DER PUTTEN* and C. VERBRUGGEN Laboratory for Palaeoecology and Landscape Genesis, Ghent University, Department of Geography, S8/B2, Krijgslaan, 281, B-9000 Gent, Belgium *Corresponding author:
[email protected] Abstract: Carbon dating of basal peat deposits in Cumberland Bay and Stromness Bay and sediments from a lake in Stromness Bay, South Georgia indicates deglaciation at the very beginning of the Holocene before c. 9500 14C yr BP. This post-dates the deglaciation of one local lake which has been ice-free since at least 15 700 14C yr BP on account of its atypical geomorphological location. The latter indicates the likely presence of floristic refugia on South Georgia during the Last Glacial Maximum from which newly exposed terrestrial and aquatic habitats were rapidly colonized. Received 20 July 2004, accepted 19 September 2004 Key words: Early Holocene deglaciation, geomorphology, glacial refugia, palaeoecology, radiocarbon dates, sub-Antarctic Introduction der Putten et al. 2004). Geomorphological (Clapperton 1971, 1990, Clapperton et al. 1978, 1989), palaeoecological (Barrow 1977, 1983, Review of the existing data on deglaciation Barrow & Smith 1983, Clapperton et al. 1989, Van der Putten et al. 2004) and lithological-chemical investigation Based on research in Cumberland East Bay, Cumberland (Rosqvist et al. 1999, Rosqvist & Schuber 2003) of organic West Bay and Stromness Bay Clapperton (1971, 1990) and lake and terrestrial sediments around Stromness Bay and Clapperton et al. (1978, 1989), presented a model of Cumberland Bay (Fig.